Apparatus for washing and waxing cars



June 3, 1969 H. R. WAGNER 3,447,505

APPARATUS FOR WASHING AND WAXING CARS Filed Feb. 18. 1966 Sheet. of 2 INVENTOR 3B HARRY R. WAGNER MMMQZ 4! ATTORNEYS,

June 3, 1969 H. R. WAGNER 3,447,505

APPARATUS FOR WASHING AND WAXING CARS Filed Feb. 18. 1966 Sheet 2 WATER PRES SU RE DETERGENT on WAX FIG-6 37136 135 :34 I33 T 1 lll- 13a cs R2 C4 cs c2 c1 J 3 J J J M (,2

e s4 s3 s2 1 [32 x -l4z United States Patent 3,447,505 APPARATUS FOR WASHING AND WAXING CARS Harry R. Wagner, 3955 Klepinger Road, Dayton, Ohio 45416 Filed Feb. 18, 1966, Ser. No. 528,571 Int. Cl. 1360s 3/06; B050 11/10; B601) 7/36 US. Cl. 1187 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An automatic car washing system wherein the side and top brushes move back and forth over a stationary car while a soap solution is sprayed thereon and subsequently rinsed therefrom. The soap supply system is completely automatic, and liquid wax can be sprayed on to the car subsequent to the soap operation. The soap and wax supply systems incorporate a pressure vessel divided into two chambers by a resilient diaphragm.

This invention relates to cleanup apparatus and particularly to an automatic system for washing automobiles or the like.

More specifically, this invention relates to a liquid supply system for a car washing apparatus or the like, wherein the soap and/or wax is supplied to high pressure spray nozzles which direct the liquids onto the vehicle being washed. In the past, these systems have been quite complex requiring a number of separate pumps for the liquid and wax feeding operation in addition to the high pressure pump used to increase the pressure in the water. While the invention is particularly directed and described in connection with a car washing apparatus, it will be apparent that the apparatus used to combine a preset amount of soap and/or wax or other liquids with the high pressure stream of water can be used to measure and mix any type of liquid with another liquid.

One important object of this invention is to provide an improved automatic car washing system which does not require any action on the part of the car owner except to park his car and insert the necessary coins in a coin box.

Another object of this invention is to provide a washing system of the aforesaid type wherein a preset amount of soap or wax is automatically supplied to the washing apparatus each time the system is energized, and particularly to provide such a system wherein the amount of soap or wax is measured at the end of the previous cycle so that it is ready to be dispensed immediately upon the commencement of the necessary cycle.

Another object of this invention is to provide a soap and wax dispensing system for washing apparatus wherein the single pump which is utilized to supply high pressure water to the washing apparatus is the sole source of pressure utilized to operate the soap and wax dispensing system, and further to provide such a dispensing system which is simple in design and comparatively inexpensive in cost for dependable operation over a substantial period of time.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a liquid mixing system wherein one or more liquids are mixed with a separate liquid which is moving under high pressure through a conduit, and particularly to provide a liquid mixing system wherein the amount of liquid added to the pressure line is precisely measured for each cycle of operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a typical car washing apparatus using the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the soap and wax feeding system and an elevation view of typical washing apparatus which can be used with the feed system;

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the soap or wax dispensing vessel partially broken away to show the internal components thereof;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of one portion of the dispensing device;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the venturi used to connect the wax and soap supply systems with the main supply conduit; and

FIG. 6 is an electrical schematic showing of one embodiment of electrical controls which can be used with the invention.

Referring to the drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated, FIG. 1 shows a typical installation of the car washing system. A plurality of car washing bays 10, 11, and 12 are provided in the building 14 having a central waiting room 15 wherein the car owners can rest during the period that their cars are being washed. The space between bays 11 and 12 also has a system which supplies the water, soap and wax to the car washing apparatus 16 in each of the bays.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the car washing apparatus utilizes a movable carriage 20 which is supported on the I-beams 21 and 22 disposed on top of the jack posts 24 and braced to side walls by the stabilizers 25. The rollers and drive wheel mechanism 26 support the carriage for reciprocal movement on the I-beams so that the top and side members 27, 28 and 29 of the carriage 20 move along the length of the car during the washing cycle. The side members 28 and 29 have the rotary brushes 31 and 32 mounted thereon and adapted to extend outwardly into contact with the sides 34 of the automobile 35 (FIG. 1) to facilitate washing. Similarly, the upper member 27 supports a rotary brush 37 which enages the upper surfaces 38 of the automobile during the washing operation. The brushes 31 and 37 are preferably provided with separate drive motors (not shown) and the necessary drive connection to the brushes. The spray nozzles 40 are mounted at a number of locations on the carriage 20 to spray high pressure water on the automobile for cooperation with the brushes to effect cleaning of the automobile.

During a typical washing cycle, the carriage 20 makes six reciprocations over the automobile 35. The soap is mixed with the water during the first and second passes and, if wax is desired, it is applied during the third and fourth reciprocation of the carriage. The last several reciprocations are used to remove the soap and excess wax from the automobile. The floor 41 of each of the bays 10, 11 and 12 is recessed to form the shoulders 42 which cooperate with the rails 44 to guide the wheels 45 of the automobile.

The system which supplies the water, detergent, and wax to the car washing apparatus 16 is an important feature of this invention and includes a water supply source connected to the inlet conduit 47 through the solenoid valve 48 into the high pressure centrifugal pump 50. The pump raises the pressure of the water and forces it into the main supply conduit 52 having the check valve 53 and the solenoid valve 53 therein and then into carriage 20 to the nozzles 40. A bypass conduit 55 having the manual valve 56 therein is provided between the conduits 47 and 52 for bypassing the pump 50 during maintenance operations, and a pressure relief valve 57 is also provided in the conduit 58 to prevent excess pressure build-up within the system.

The detergent supply system includes a supply tank 60 which is manually filled and which may contain several weeks supply of detergent. The outlet conduit 61 from this tank is connected to.the main supply conduit 52 through the conduit '63 having the three one-way check 3 valves 64, 65 and 65a and the solenoid valve 67 mounted therein. In the conduit 63 between the check valves 64 and 65 is mounted the detergent supply vessel 66 (FIGS. 2 and 3) whose structure and function will be explained in detail hereinafter.

The supply conduit 52 is connected to the bottom of this detergent vessel 66 through the conduit 68 having the manually actuated valves 71 and 72 therein, as well as the pressure gage 73. A bypass conduit 74 is provided around the manual valve 72 and fiow therethrough is controlled by the solenoid actuated valve 75.

The valve 75 is a three-way valve and has the conduit 76 extending upwardly therefrom to a position above the detergent vessel 66. A syphon break 77 is provided in the uppermost portion of this conduit, and when the valve 75 is in its inactive position the conduit 74 is connected to the atmosphere to relieve the pressure in the conduit 7-4. The water in the conduit 74 can not be drained therefrom since the syphon break 77 in conduit 76 will not permit a syphoning action to commence.

The wax supply system is substantially identical to the detergent supply system in that the wax supply tank 80 is connected to the main supply conduit 52 through the conduit 81 with the three one-way check valves 83, 84- and 85 and the solenoid control valve 86 therein. A wax supply vessel 88 is connected by the conduit 81 to the conduit between the check valves 83 and 84, and the lower portion of this vessel is connected to the main supply conduit 52 through the conduits 71, 74 and 90.

The detergent and wax supply vessels 66 and 88 are shown in detail in FIGS. 3 and 4 and include two semispherical metallic members 101 and 102 which are secured together by the conventional fasteners 103 extending between the radial fianges 105 and 106 on these members. A resilient diaphragm 107 is clamped between the flanges 105 and 106 of the semi-spherical members 101 and 102 to divide the interior of the vessel into upper and lower chambers 108 and 110. The upper chamber 108 connects to the conduit 53 or 81 through the passage 112, whereas the lower chamber 110 connects to the conduit 68 or 90 through the passageway 114.

A bleed orifice 115 is provided in the lower chamber 110 to relieve any air or other gas which might become trapped therein. This bleed orifice includes a cutout or slot portion 116 adjacent the diaphragm 107 and the connecting tapped bore 117 which extends through the flange 106 to an opening exterior of the vessel. A screw 118 having a slot or plat 119 therein threadedly engages the bore 117 and can be loosened to relieve gases from the lower chamber 110. During installation of the system, and periodically during the operation thereof, the screw 118 is loosened when the chamber 110 is being pressurized so that any air trapped therein can be vented. Otherwise the trapped air would be compressed and the diaphragm 107 would not have any incompressible fluid acting thereon to expel 100% of the liquid from the chamber 108.

A T-connection 120 (FIGS. 2 and is used to connect the detergent and wax supply systems and the high pressure supply conduit 52 and includes the T -shaped member 12 1 having a venturi member 123 mounted therein. The venturi member 123 causes a reduction of pressure so that the wax or detergent is drawn into the water stream in the conduit 52.

The electrical schematic is shown in FIG. 6 and is best explained in connection with the operation of the system. Assuming that the system is properly installed and calibrated, the car owner drives his automobile 35 into one of the bays 11, closes the automobile windows and then steps from the car. When both wash and wax operations are desired, the owner inserts the necessary coins in the coin box 125 mounted on the front of the building 14. The switch 130 in the line 131 (FIG. 6) immediately closes causing the power source 132 to be connected across the lines 131 and 133. This immediately energizes the relay R1, in line 134 causing the normally open contacts C1, C2, and C3 in lines 135, 136, and 137 to be 4 closed and the normally closed contacts C4 in line 138 to be opened. The motor 140 in line 142 is also energized to start the pump 50. The actuator 144 which operates the switch 145 to start the wax operation is time delayed and will not close the switch 145 until the proper time for supplying wax to the system, and then only if coins have been placed in the appropriate slot in the coin box 125.

Thus the motor 14- drives the centrifugal pump 50 at high speed, and contacts C1 complete a circuit between lines 133 and 146 to energize the solenoid S1 in line 135 to open the valve 48. This allows the water pressure to fiow into the inlet conduit 47 from where it is forced by the pump 50 upwardly through the main supply conduit 52 and the check valve 53. At the same time, the high pressure water from the supply conduit 52 flows through the normally open manual valve 71 in conduit 68 and through the bypass conduit 74 which has been opened by energization of the solenoid S2 in line 136. This action forces the high pressure water into the lower chamber of the detergent vessel 66 causing the diaphragm 107 to be deformed upwardly to force the detergent in the upper chamber 108 through the conduit 5-3, the check valves 65 and 65a, the valve 67 which has been opened by the solenoid S3 in line 137, and the T-connection and into the main supply conduit 52. The pressure remains on the diaphragm 107 and the restricted passage 112 regulates the rate at which the detergent is forced into the main conduit 52. Normally, detergent is supplied during one or two reciprocations of the car washing apparatus 16 before it is exhausted.

After the soaping operation is complete, the time delay actuator 144 closes the switch 145 in line 139 causing the relay R2 to be energized to close the normally open contacts C6 in line 147. Energization of the solenoid S6 in line 147 opens the valve 86 and allows water from the main conduit 52 to flow through the conduits 68, 74 and 90, and into the lower chamber 110 of the Wax vessel 86. The wax in the upper chamber 108 is thus forced through the conduit 81, the check valves 84 and 85, the valve 86, the T-connection 121, and into the main supply conduit 52. When all of the detergent and all of the wax are expended from the vessels, the high pressure water continues to flow through the conduit 52 for several reciprocations of the car washing apparatus 16 to perform the rinsing operation.

When the washing cycle is complete, the switches and in line 131 are automatically opened to return the contacts C1C6 to their normal position. Thus the water supply is cut off by closing of the valve 48 in the conduit 47 and both the upper chambers 108 of the detergent and wax vessels 66 and 86 are disconnected from the conduit 52 by closing of the valves 67 and 86 in conduits 63 and 81. The lower chambers 110 of these vessels are also disconnected from the conduit 52. At the same time, the solenoid S2 in line 136 is denergized to open the valve 75 and allow pressure in the conduits 74 and 90 to be relieved to relieve the pressure in the lower chambers 110 of the vessels 66 and 88 and allow the diaphragms 107 to return to their normal position as a result of their resilience. As the diaphragms 107 move downwardly to their normal position, they draw liquid detergent or wax from the tank 60 or 80 through the check valves 64- and 83 and into the upper chamber 108 so that the detergent or wax is ready for the next cycle.

Also, simultaneously with the completion of the cycle, the normally closed contacts C4 in line 138 energizes the solenoid S4 to open the valve 150 and allow pressurized air to flow through the conduit 52 downstream of the check valve 53 and remove the water therein. This is particularly important during the winter months since the car bays 10-12 are frequently not heated and the main supply conduit 52 might otherwise freeze. A timer device 151 is provided in line 138 to open the circuit to solenoid S4 and close the valve 150 a short time after it is opened.

If wax is not desired during the washing operation no coins are placed in the coin box 125 for this operation, and as a result the actuator 144 is not energized to close the switch 145. The effect is that an extra rising cycle is provided instead of the wax operation.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in connection with car washing apparatus, the invention is not limited to use in car washing systems since it is possible to use the liquid supply system with numerous other types of equipment. For example, the system could be used for adding one liquid chemical to a high pressure supply line used in the chemical industry. Likewise, the detergent and wax supply systems can be used with other types of car washing apparatus such as a system which does not use brushes but depends entirely upon spraying action to effect the cleaning action.

The invention has accordingly provided an improved automatic car washing system which does not reqiure any action on the part of the car owner or other person except to park his car and insert the necessary coins to start the cycle. The invention precisely and automatically supplies wax and soap to the car washing apparatus and only a single pump is required to create the pressure required for the system.

What is claimed is:

1. A car washing system comprising, nozzle means for spraying a high pressure stream of water onto the car being washed, a high pressure pump having an inlet and an outlet, means for connecting the inlet of said pump to a source of water, a main supply conduit connecting said outlet of said pump to said nozzle means, a detergent supply system including a pressure vessel separated into first and second chambers separated by a resilient diaphragm a first conduit connecting said first chamber to said main supply conduit, first valve means in said first conduit, a second conduit connecting said second chamher to said main supply conduit downstream of the juncture between said main supply conduit and said first conduit, a detergent supply tank connected to said second chamber through 'a third conduit, a first one-way valve in said second conduit which blocks flow into said second chamber, a second one-way valve in said third conduit which blocks flow into said supply tank through said third conduit, said first valve means operable to connect and disconnect said first chamber with said supply conduit to pressurize said second chamber and force liquid in said second chamber into said supply conduit, and pressure relief means to relieve the pressure in said first chamber to permit said diaphragm to return to its normal position to draw detergent from said tank into said second chamber.

2. A car washing system as defined in claim 1 wherein an automatic control system is provided to operate the car washing system through one complete cycle each time said control system is actuated.

3. A car washing system as defined in claim 1 wherein a venturi connection is provided between said second conduit and said main supply conduit.

4. A car washing system as defined in claim 1 wherein a liquid wax supply system is connected to said nozzle means for automatic operation subsequent to the exhaustion of detergent from said second chamber of said pressure vessel.

5. A liquid supply and mixing system comprising, a high pressure pump having an inlet and an outlet, means for connecting said inlet of said pump to a source of a liquid, a main supply conduit connecting said outlet of said pump to the using apparatus, a liquid supply system including a pressure vessel separated into first and second chambers separated by a resilient diaphragm, a first conduit connecting said first chamber to said main supply conduit, first valve means in said first conduit, a second conduit connecting said second chamber to said main supply conduit downstream of the juncture between said main supply conduit and said first conduit, a liquid supply tank connected to said second chamber through a third conduit, a first one-way valve in said second conduit which blocks flow into said second chamber, a second one-way valve in said third conduit which blocks flow into said supply tank from said third conduit, said first valve means operable to connect and disconnect said first chamber with said supply conduit to pressurize said second chamber and force said second liquid in saidsecond chamber into said supply conduit, and pressure relief means to relieve the pressure in said first chamber to permit said diaphragm to return to its normal position to draw said liquid from said tank into said second chamber.

6. A supply and mixing system as defined in claim 5 wherein more than one of said liquid supply systems are provided.

-7. A car washing system comprising, nozzle means for spraying a high pressure stream of water onto the car being washed, a high pressure pump having an inlet and an outlet, means for connecting said inlet of said pump to a source of water, a main supply conduit connecting said outlet of said pump to said nozzle means, wax and detergent supply systems including a wax and a detergent pressure vessel separated into first and second chambers by a resilient diaphragm, a first conduit connecting said first chambers of said pressure vessels to said main supply conduit, first valve means in said first conduit, second conduit means connecting said second chamber of each of said vessels to said main supply conduit downstream of the juncture between said main supply conduit and said first conduit, detergent :and wax supply tanks connected by third conduit means to said second chamber of said detergent and wax vessels, respectively, first oneway valve means in said second conduit means which blocks flow into said second chambers of said vessels, second one-way valve means in said third conduit means which blocks flow into said supply tanks through said third conduit means, said first valve means operable to connect and disconnect said first chambers of said pressure vessels with said supply conduit to pressurize said second chambers and force liquid in said second chambers into said supply conduit through said second conduit means, pressure relief means to relieve the pressure in said first chambers to permit said diaphragms to return to their normal position to draw detergent or wax from the associated said detergent or wax flank into said second chambers, and automatic control means including valves in said second conduit means to supply sequentially detergent and then wax to said main supply conduit.

8. A car washing system as defined in claim 7 wherein each of said pressure vessels includes manual bleed means in said first chamber immediately adjacent said diaphragm for relieving gases trapped in said second chamber.

A car washing system as defined in claim 7 wherein said second chambers have a volume which are substantially equal to the volume of said detergent and wax to be added to said main supply conduit during each cycle of operation.

10. A car washing system as defined in claim 7 wherein automatic control means are provided to first actuate said detergent supply system and then said wax supply system and to continue the supply of water after the wax is exhausted to rinse the vehicle being washed of excess detergent and wax.

11. A car washing system as defined in claim 10 wherein said automatic control means includes means to inject a stream of air into said main supply conduit downstream from the connection of said second conduit thereto to remove liquids from said main supply conduit.

12. A car washing system as defined in claim 10 wherein said automatic control means includes means to actuate only said detergent supply system during a cycle 7 8' or to actuate sequentially said detergent and wax supply WALTER A. SOHEEL, Primary Examiner. systems- JOHN P. MCINTOSH, Assistant Examiner.

References Cited Us CL UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 1 18-73; 134-101, 123; 137268; 239-305, 317, 318, 2,689,577 9/1954 Dunn et 211 134-123 350 3,039,428 6/1962 McLean 118-11 X 

